Tag: David Gantt

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The Council of Independent Business Owners has been called a lot of things over the years.

Few could argue that the nonprofit — whose members serve on such powerful public bodies as Asheville’s City Council and Planning and Zoning Commission, the Western North Carolina Regional Air Quality Agency’s board and the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners — lacks influence. But how far does it reach? And does the group still have the kind of impact that it did in the past?

As Asheville gears up to file a lawsuit against state legislation that gives control of the city’s water system to the Metropolitan Sewage District, some rejected ideas posed by Buncombe County years ago to provide compensation have resurfaced.

Grappling with their toughest budget in a decade, the Buncombe County commissioners have been debating austerity measures that would put the squeeze on many local nonprofits for the foreseeable future. And amid a still-sputtering economy, most of those groups are already struggling after years of rising demand and dwindling funding sources.

This year, both Asheville City Hall and the Buncombe County Courthouse turn 85. The two classic buildings are both undergoing renovation or expansion, part of an effort to keep them a center of civic life for the next 85 years. A look at their history, their future, and the end of the old feud that created them. Photos by Max Cooper.

This post features responses to the Xpress questionnaire from Democrat David Gantt, incumbent chair of the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners. His Republican challenger in this year’s election, J.B. Howard, declined to respond.

In the race for the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners chairmanship, incumbent Democrat David Gantt faced off Sept. 24 with Republican challenger J.B. Howard, marking stark contrasts in how the two candidates would approach economic development, education, the budget and other issues.

I read a puzzling comment from Tim Peck on the Aug. 21 online article, "Commissioners Approve Personnel Ordinance, Reject LGBT Protections (see the article and comment at http://avl.mx/ji). I think it’s important that people understand Chairman David Gantt’s position at Tuesday’s Buncombe County Board of Commissioners meeting. My understanding is that the motion put before […]

Board of Commissioners Chair David Gantt recently finished up a three-part video series in which he shares his thoughts on Buncombe County’s $337 million budget for the 2012-13 fiscal year, which began July 1.

The weather, which had been threatening rain, turned out beautiful for the annual March of Dimes Walk in downtown Asheville. (David Gantt and the ‘ambassador babies,’ twins Callie and Jorja Medford with their parents at the start of the march. Callie and Jorja were born early and weighed 15oz at birth. Photo by Bill Rhodes)

At their Feb. 21 meeting, Buncombe County commissioners denied a rezoning request that would’ve allowed more mobile homes in Reynolds and approved $50,000 for a job training program. Dr. Milton Byrd also announced that he’s going to try to unseat incumbent Board Chair David Gantt by running against him in the May 8 Democratic primary.

County buys Volvo plant. County sells Volvo plant to Linamar Group, a Canadian manufacturer, the following year. Asheville gives Linamar $2.2 million in incentives over four years. Buncombe puts up $6.8 million in incentives. North Carolina pitches in $9 million. The hoped-for results? Almost 400 jobs for the Asheville-Buncombe area that pay, on average, more than $39,000 a year.Governor Bev Perdue announces Linamar’s expansion. Photo by Jonathan Welch

It appears that our county commissioners could not care less that taxpayers don’t want to go deeper in debt in the worst economy in years. They want seven new offices, plus a larger meeting room and a few other spaces at a total cost of $464,400, not including more furnishings and electronics. The meeting room […]

A group of local elected officials and community leaders gathered May 18 for the Mayor’s Leadership Ride, an annual bicycle tour of the city designed to highlight recent infrastructure improvements and upcoming projects.

The North Carolina Senate passed a bill May 18 to expand the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners from five to seven members and mandate district representation in place of the current at-large elections.

This legal memo was written by Buncombe County Attorney Michael Frue at the instruction of Buncombe County Board of Commissioners Chair David Gantt. It outlines the county’s legal position as it relates to PEG channel funding and URTV and was released to interested parties on April 25. Click the hyper link below to download the […]

Buncombe County Board Chair David Gantt and Statehouse Rep. Tim Moffitt exchanged sharp words over Moffitt’s recent proposal to expand the Board of Commissioners from five to seven members and mandate district representation in place of the current at-large elections. The two elected officials spoke at this morning’s April 1 meeting of the Council of Independent Business Owners at the Biltmore Square Mall. Photo by Margaret Williams

It appears our commissioners haven’t accepted the fact that they are employees of the taxpayers of Buncombe County. Their travel allowance was just reduced from $650 every two weeks to $320 every two weeks, which is still unacceptable. Chairman Gantt wants the commissioners to be paid for the average miles they travel “as long as […]

On Friday, it was hams from Paula Deen for the local nonprofit MANNA FoodBank. On Saturday, Jan. 22, it was a polar plunge for Meals on Wheels: As morning temperatures teased the freezing mark, 27 perky souls — including Buncombe County Chair David Gantt, pictured here in a photo by Jerry Nelson — dove into the Asheville Racquet Club’s outdoor pool. Here’s more about their polar plunge, from super heroes to … well, there are some interesting costumes.